Death of Professor David Fitzpatrick

We were saddened to learn of the death of Professor David Fitzpatrick. David was a gifted, wide-ranging, and fearless historian. He brought rigour and a cool eye to the study of contentious subjects, too often clouded by the mythmaking of others. He transformed our understanding of the Irish Revolutionary period and the generations of his students who continue to work in this area are part of his legacy.

The West Cork History Festival owes David a particular debt. He delivered a fascinating paper on Protestant depopulation in Ireland at the first Festival in 2017. His analysis of events in West Cork, in particular, was enormously valuable. It also typified the man. Insightful, relentlessly focussed on the evidence, and with a wry sense of humour, he shed fresh light and opened up the subject. Characteristically modest and judicious, he, nevertheless, revealed the inadequacies and evasions of some treatment of the period. He was never uncritical, but also never unkind, he remains a model for other historians.

We remember him with gratitude and extend our sympathy to his family and many friends.